When you’ve built your business from the ground up, the thought of hiring someone can be overwhelming. This post can help. It includes tips on searching for employees, interviewing them, and what tasks to assign once they’re hired. That way you can focus on the exciting part – growing your business.

First steps
Small business owners are used to doing everything from formulating recipes to shipping orders. However, if day-to-day tasks are taking up most of your time and you can’t focus on big-picture items, it may be time to expand.

Jessica with Normal Soap Company had that realization while spending hours labeling and delivering products. She’s a 4th-generation soapmaker who started selling products about 6 years ago. She first hired part-time seasonal help, then year-round employees.

“There are times where I need to focus on production and building the business,” she said. “I can teach someone to label and make deliveries.”

Lela with Lucky Break Consulting said expanding will likely happen earlier than you want it to. The hiring process can be long and complicated, so you don’t want to start when you’re backed up against a wall. If you’re thinking about it, start looking into your finances to see if it’s something you can afford. Lela recommends deciding if you need a contractor for certain tasks or a long-term employee. Your state’s employment and labor laws will have more information on both options, so make sure to research those online. Then you need to create a document with all of your current tasks, how to complete them, what you expect from employees, the training process, etc.

“All of us are wearing so many different hats, which means the business lives in our head,” Lela said. “Get those systems and standards on paper.”

Next you can start looking for candidates. Lela recommends avoiding newspaper ads because they can be expensive. Online platforms like craigslist are free, but you will have to sift through a lot of spam. You can put the job posting in your blog or newsletter so people already familiar with your company apply.

“If you’re a brick-and-mortar business, put a sign in the window,” Lela said. “Don’t underestimate the power of that.”

Jessica said her best resource is other entrepreneurs in the area. She let market managers know she was hiring and also posted in a Facebook group for local businesses. Normal Soap Company’s products are sold in a few stores, so Jessica told the owners to send qualified applicants her way. That gave her plenty of resumes to choose from.

The interview process
Once you’ve narrowed the search, you can start interviewing applicants. Lela likes to start with a one-on-one meeting. It only lasts about 20 minutes and she asks a few simple questions. If she likes the candidate, she brings them back in for a second interview with more in-depth questions. It’s good to have someone else there for a second opinion. That can be an assistant, business partner, or even a trusted friend. Lela then takes the candidate on a tour of the facility and watches how they interact with other staff members.

Bramble Berry CEO and Founder Anne-Marie recommends covering experience and relevant skills, but also asking questions to see if the applicant is a good fit for the company culture.

“I like to ask about the last book they read, or the last movie they watched, how they practice stress release, if they consider themselves an introvert or an extrovert and an example of that personality behavior,” she said.

When you find someone you like, make sure to check both personal and professional references. If you’re having trouble choosing between 2 applicants, trust your intuition.

“I’ve done a lot wrong over the years and 2 things spring to mind – not listening to my gut (that’s how we hired a bank robber, literally!), and hiring the world’s coolest people ‘just because’ but then not having a real role for them at the company,” Anne-Marie said.

What tasks to delegate
Start by making a list of all the tasks you’re currently doing.

“It’s a humbling experience seeing all the things you’re trying to master at once,” Lela said.

Rate the tasks on how comfortable you feel doing them and how much you enjoy them. Then, go through and see which ones you can start delegating. Good options are day-to-day tasks like answering social media comments and cleaning dishes. That way you can work on high-level tasks like product development and human resources.

Jessica first has employees help with preparing orders, labeling, and making deliveries. Then she trains them on how to make products like lip balm and bath bombs. They also go to markets to sell products. Jessica continues to make soap and lotion, as they require more experience and knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices. She does show her employees how to make it though.

“We try to balance necessary tasks like labeling with fun stuff like making soap,” she said.

After the hire
Hiring and training people is just the beginning. Lela recommends bringing people in for a 60-day trial. Once a week, meet with them for 5-10 minutes to see how everything is going. They can ask questions and you can see how they’re progressing.

“Keep an eye on them until they build confidence and spread their wings,” she said.

After that, she recommends yearly reviews. Find out what they love and what’s dragging them down. Create benchmarks and goals for them to meet by the next review. This is helpful for both employees and owners. Lela said a common mistake for owners is coming across too friendly because they’re not used to hiring and delegating tasks. Having systems and standards in place can help you be more professional and your employees know what to expect.

The more you work with someone, the more you’ll learn. In the beginning, Jessica relied on help from friends and family. They helped her business grow and it was the right decision at the time. But since she hired help, she hasn’t looked back.

It’s no surprise that providing good customer service is an important part of running a small business. This post has tips about how to interact with customers so they’ll keep coming back.

Why it’s important
As a small business owner, you wear a lot of hats. The thought of making time to answer questions on social media can be daunting. Kellie with Old Field Farm definitely understands – on top of selling her soap, she also works full time. She said there are a lot of talented makers out there, so it’s important to stand out with fast and friendly customer service.

“I feel like the customer can go anywhere with access to the internet,” she said. “We really try to make our customers feel important. We like to respond quickly to let them know we hear them.”

Reputation is another aspect to consider. Many small business owners can’t afford advertising, so word of mouth is very important. Sarah with Spicy Pinecone said you need to be consistent, fair, and efficient with every customer.

“People talk and share their experiences – both good and bad. In the age of social media, your actions will be spoken about,” she said. “No matter what happens, you must always remain professional and never discourteous, give the customer your full attention, and always use your manners (even if your customer is a difficult one).”

In December, soapmakers and small business owners feel a noticeable shift. Orders start to decrease and the hustle and bustle from the holiday season tapers off. By January most makers are taking a well-deserved break. After they’ve had enough time to rest and appreciate all their hard work, it’s time to start thinking about the new year. Sales tend to decrease around this time, but there are a few tricks that can keep the momentum going.

Social media engagement
Platforms like Instagram and Facebook are an important tool for business owners because they allow you to connect with your customers. Learn how to take photos, edit them, use hashtags, and more in the Instagram Tips and Tricks post.

In January it’s especially important to post new content consistently. Crystal with Wonderlust Artisan Soaps uses social media to find out what products her customers are excited about.

“I’m asking them, ‘What do you want to see more of? Would you like to see this product again? What kind of designs do you love?'” she said. “I want them to talk with me.”

This strategy gets people to come back to her page and Crystal can also make products based on their suggestions.

Sorina with Owl Natural Soaps uses a similar technique. She posts photos of new products to see how people react. If they’re loving the new design, she will keep making it. If not, she can try new designs.

Social media can also be used to help customers. If they want to know more about you or your products, answer them with plenty of information and a positive tone. That can help retain customers for years to come.

“I try to offer really great customer service and reply right away to their questions,” Sorina said.

Sorina uses social media to help customers and to share designs like this Frosted Berry soap.

Promotions
Another marketing technique is holding contests and giveaways. When things start to slow down for Crystal around Dec. 20th, she’ll announce that she’s doing a giveaway in early January. She usually does a themed giveaway, like a gift set with pumpkin spice scrub, soap, and lip balm. To enter, people repost her photo on their Instagram or tag three friends in the comments. She also does small sales like a free gift with purchase or 10% discount.

Having people repost photos or tag their friends is a great way to get your products seen by a new audience. Whoever wins the giveaway will likely share on their social channels and they also get a chance to try the products. If they love them, they’ll come back and buy more. It’s a simple but effective technique.

You don’t have to do big giveaways to experience the benefits. Michelle with Maine Naturals posts a photo of a new design and asks for name suggestions. Whoever comes up with the best name wins a bar of the soap or a small gift certificate.

Michelle also suggests doing promotions based on holidays. It can be an obscure holiday or something that applies to your current product line.

“In March I did a Pi Day contest,” she said. “I said post the best pictures of your pies, and the person who posts the best picture will win a soap package.”

Specialty products
Now that bars made with holiday scents and colors are out the door, you can really get creative in the new year. Michelle made soap inspired by the snow in Maine for her Soap of the Month club. Every month she creates a design inspired by the season and promotes it heavily on social media.

Sorina has been inspired by fantasy themes like unicorns, mermaids, and fairies, so she’s planning more designs based around that. Crystal has been creating soaps with her namesake, often changing the colors or stones to keep the products fresh. She also saves her most popular bath bomb designs for January and only makes enough to last a few months. That entices people to get them while they can.

You can also tailor your products to your customers’ interests. A lot of Crystal’s followers are vegan, so she’s making a soap and donating some of the sales to a local rescue.

“It doesn’t have to be expensive and you can help a charity out in the process,” she said.

Every market or festival you attend is a learning experience. Vendors learn new ways to decorate their displays, faster ways to assemble them, and what products people want to buy.

We went to the Holiday Festival of the Arts here in Bellingham, WA and asked makers to pass along that knowledge in this video. They share their tips for making your products stand out and decorating your display. They also talk about the advantages of selling at festivals versus online or in stores. It’s a great resource for first-time sellers or those considering whether to give markets a try.

Information about essential oils is everywhere you look. Just one online search turns up 68 million results and counting. Each result says something different about essential oils – the way they smell, where they originated, what they claim to do. One source says bergamot essential oil helps with anxiety and clears the skin, while another source says petitgrain essential oil helps boost the immune system.

You may notice our essential oil descriptions look a little plain compared to some – you won’t see any information about them boosting the immune system. There’s a very specific reason why that’s missing from the page.

Bramble Berry’s essential oil descriptions
The descriptions usually include what the essential oil smells like, how it’s distilled, its country of origin, its botanical name, what part of the plant it’s from, its flashpoint, and any safety information. For instance, Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil is steam distilled and originates in France. Lavender is also thought to alleviate headaches, heal burns, etc. However, these are drug claims.

When you first start making soap, you’ll soon find you have more bars than you know what to do with. Many crafters give soap and other handmade products to friends and family. It’s pretty common for your loved ones to get hooked on those products and want more. Over time, people may ask about buying them. If that’s the case, selling your products is definitely something to consider. This post has more information on moving from hobby to business. Local farmers markets, fairs and events are a popular place to sell handmade products. But how do you know if that’s the right path for you?

Are markets right for you?
First things first, markets take time, money and effort.

Lauren with Single Barrel Soaps said it’s a lot of work to sell your products at a market. She’s been selling soap for about two years and does at least one market a month. Read our interview with her here. That work includes making the products from scratch, packing them up and transporting them to the event. Once you’re at the event, you need to set up your booth or table and sell products for several hours. At the end of the event, you have to take the display down, pack it up and transport it back. It’s a full day of talking soap and selling products.

Markets are also very social. April with Old Whaling Company said she talks about her products all day to multiple people. She started Old Whaling Company in 2012 and sells her products at the Charleston City Market every day of the week. People there are very curious about handmade soap.

There are definite advantages to selling your products at markets. You have a direct line to customers. You can talk to them about your products, how you carefully chose each ingredient and why they feel so amazing on the skin. The products aren’t made in a factory by a large company; they’re personally crafted by the person standing in front of them. That’s one of the many advantages of handmade soap. Learn more advantages in this post.

“Selling at markets gives us a chance to get out there and meet our customers – to physically see their likes and dislikes and get feedback,” said Jamie with Whitetail Lane Farm. She’s been selling soap since 2014 and does about 8 markets a year. “It also gives our customers a chance to touch and smell our product. We have a sign in our market tent that says ‘smells are free’ and most people that begin picking up and smelling a bar of soap will usually purchase it.”

If selling at markets sounds like the right path for you, the next step is getting started.

How do you get started?Deciding where to sell your products requires quite a bit of research. Start scoping out markets, fairs and events in your area. Once you find one that interests you, go see it in person! Lauren with Single Barrel Soaps recommends looking at the booths there, talking to vendors, talking to the organizers and buying products. Take note of how busy the market is. She also recommends paying close attention to booths that sell handmade soap and cosmetics. If you find your products are similar, you may want to reconsider what to bring. That way you don’t step on any toes, and you also stand out from other vendors.

April with Old Whaling Company said event fees are something else to research. If they’re expensive and you’re just starting out, you may want to find a different event. Once you have a few markets under your belt and a loyal customer base, you can re-examine the larger and more expensive events.

Once you decide on a market, the next step is figuring out what to bring. While you’re visiting the market, see if there’s a theme. Do you notice a lot of products with neon colors and fragrance, or do the products contain natural colors and essential oils? Is there a lot of soap, or are the vendors selling other products like lotion and scrubs? Don’t be afraid to take notes to help you remember. Tailoring your products to the shoppers can be really beneficial. For instance, when Lauren sold her products in Kentucky, the customers preferred fragrance oils. However, when she moved to Maryland, she found they preferred essential oils. She adjusted her product line to cater to those preferences.

There is also something to be said for trial and error. When Jamie with Whitetail Lane Farm started going to events, she registered at local places and didn’t research each one.

“After that first show season we really started ‘vetting’ shows to see if it was a good fit for us,” she said. “If people from our target audience attended and there was significant attendance, we usually attend.”

Over time, Jamie learned that fall shows are better for them than spring or summer shows, so she focused on those. You may find the opposite once you have a few markets under your belt.

While you’re at the event, don’t be afraid to ask the shoppers plenty of questions. Do they prefer soap, or would they like to see bath bombs? What skin concerns do they have? What draws their eye? They can give you helpful tips so you know what to adjust or add for your next show. The more shows you do, the more you learn. That experience is extremely valuable and will help you be successful.

Tips for success
Shopping is a psychological process. People tend to buy with their emotions and rationalize the choices later. That means attitude is incredibly important. A big smile and positive answers to questions can go a long way. If the event isn’t going like you planned, try to put a positive spin on it. For instance, if people aren’t loving your products, you can say, “I’ve been getting great feedback on my products.” If the weather is too hot, rainy, etc., you can say, “It’s so awesome that people are here supporting small businesses even in this weather! I’m really thankful you’re here.” The positive answers really make a difference about how shoppers feel toward you and your products. Get more tips in this post.

Lauren likes to stand for the entire event because it’s more inviting.

“I love talking about soap and getting their opinions. I think that enthusiasm carries though,” she said. “If you wake up and you’re not in a good mood, put it aside.”

Little details like what you’re wearing can also help you be successful. A clean and comfortable outfit is ideal for events. If you’re not sure what to wear, ask yourself if you’re comfortable going to a casual dinner in your outfit. If not, consider other options. The Selling Success at Fairs and Public Markets post has more helpful tips. April recommends bringing snacks and tons of water with you as well. Staying full and hydrated will keep your attitude and energy up.

Hannah helping Old Whaling Company at the Charleston City Market. Notice the big smile and clean, comfortable outfit!

Passion and knowledge about your products is important as well. Make sure to highlight all the wonderful qualities of your handmade products and have answers ready when people ask about them. It’s also helpful to prepare answers for questions you may not feel comfortable answering. Some common topics include why handmade soap costs more than store bought bars, how you make your products, why they only use store bought soap, etc. This post has some common questions and suggested answers that still keep it positive.

It also helps to emphasize your niche. Learn how to find your niche here. When shoppers ask about your products, focus on what makes your products stand out. For instance, Jamie with Whitetail Lane Farm makes moisturizing soap with milk from her own herd of Nigerian Dwarf Goats. Her display features plenty of goat milk branding. She is able to talk about the benefits of creamy goat milk soap, as well as the goats themselves.

What are other selling options if markets aren’t for you?If selling at markets isn’t right for you, there are plenty of other options including selling online and in stores. The Where to Sell Products post has more information. Markets can be something you avoid altogether, or revisit at a later date. The most important thing is doing what’s right for you, your schedule and your business.

What are your tips for selling at markets? Check back later this month for a post on how to set up your display.

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